The Contest
by The Quote Bandit
Summary: Botta thought it was all rather exasperating. Anna thought is was funny as hell. A little show of strength between the pair in a story that isn't a romance between Botta and Anna, but there is some Kranna. Yeah.


**GASP! It's been awhile since I wrote anything for ToS . Lately I've been doing a lot of Wheel of Time stuff.**

**So yes, this came when I was searching around the ToS section, and I noticed there were not AnnaxBotta stories out there. Don't worry, this isn't a love story between the two. Just something…different. And it is rated T for suggestive things.**

**Guess what I was consuming while writing this? WATER! xD A bit different from my normal midnight inspirational snack, no?**

**And this would take place sometime when Kratos and Anna are running away from Yggy and company. And they so happened to take shelter in the Sylverant Secret Base because they TOTALLY know where it was, despite all the plot holes that would create...**

**Yeah, just read. x3**

The two combatants stared each other down from across the table. One was Anna, a pretty young woman with a strong face. Her long brunette hair was flung behind her back in a sloppy yet still very functional braid, body garbed in a simple blue and brown dress that had the same functionality levels as the braid. On the left side of the table sat Botta, a tall, bulky fellow with spikey black hair that completely ruined the utter serious upon his facial features. His arms were crossed under his chest, signifying the annoyance aimed at his companion. Anna didn't seem to notice.

He was only humoring her. It had been Anna's bloody idea to challenge him, and he was too polite (and she too forceful) for him to refuse. If it wasn't for Anna, he would be on his way to Tethe'alla to survey the mining process. Unfortunatly, Yuan thought an arm wrestling match was far more important (and interesting) then making sure none of the figures were dangerously array.

Anna smiled at him, arms casually folded on the table in front of her. "Not chickening out, are you Botta-boy?" she taunted. Botta's emotions flared up in indignant and annoyed flashes before he could get a hold of himself. This was, of course, quite a predicament to him. Though it would be quite easy to just beat her at it; that would prove nothing for him. He just didn't know if he could beat Kratos. Though he didn't seem to be the type to do that sort of thing if his woman lost an arm wrestling match, you never know what love can do to a man. Botta thought it was a good thought on his part not to test that.

Then there was the other side of this. He couldn't lose because he knew Anna enough by now. She would never let him live this down for as long as she and Kratos were staying here, and neither knew when it would be safe to leave (Yggdrasill still wasn't all that happy with them eloping). So he was in an unwinnable situation. He sent a quick pleading glance to their self-proclaimed 'ref.' Yuan merely smiled at him.

"You two ready?" he said, still grinning like the idiot he was being. Botta made a mental note to get back at him somehow. Anna smirked as she rested her right elbow on the table, fore arm outstretched to the ceiling. Botta grimaced as he copied her, hands clasping over the center of the table. He decided quickly that he would win. Better to have a chance of survival then none at all. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Kratos leaning against the wall, trying his best not to look interested. Humph.

"Alright, on your marks…get set…go!"

Almost instantly Anna's hand started falling towards the table, stopping an inch above the wooden surface. She was holding up surprisingly well. It must be the exsphere she had implanted. Was it perhaps stronger than his? It would have to be much stronger, though. Nothing beats sheer muscle mass, after all.

Botta's eyes widened in surprise. _Anna was actually pushing his back_. He mouth was contorted in a grimace, yet their hands were now perpendicular to the table. And she was still making progress. With a strong heave his hand collapsed onto the table with a loud _'BANG.' _His mouth fell open in surprise before slipping his hand away so he could nurse it.

"How did you?..." he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. Anna smirked.

"Lean muscle mass, baby!" she gloated, flexing her arms as proof. He "humphed" in reply before standing up and attempting to leave the room with some dignity intact. Yuan chuckled and followed his subordinate out as well.

Anna watched as Botta left. As soon as the door closed behind him she got up to strut over to her husband. She was forced to stand a little on her tippy-toes, yet she still managed to kiss his lips directly.

"Thanks, hon. Could not have pulled that one off without you," Anna said gratefully as she pulled away from his face so she could look at his eyes.

"Hmph," he snorted. "Remind me later not to help out with your little competitions again."

"Aww, don't be that way," she pouted. There was a bit of humor behind it, which Kratos chose to ignore along with the rest of the pout. "It only took a tiny bit of wind magic on your part. And besides," here Anna's pout turned into a mischievous grin. "Botta was getting a little too cocky for his own good. I was doing him a favor." She stood back up to give him another kiss, this time one a bit more thorough.

"Now," she smiled as they parted for a second. "I believe we have some unfinished business to do in our room." Kratos shook his head, a slight smile playing on his mouth.

"Now you are just trying to distract me from the matter at hand," he muttered in amusement.

Needless to say, it worked.

**And guess what they went to their room to do?**

**That's right, TAXES!!!!!! =D**

**Lolz, yeah, this is how I've always pictured Anna. Kratos didn't seem like the type who would like the wishy-washy type. Sorry if he/anyone else was out of character. I've never written any of them before =3**

**Heh, this might be one of the longest things I've written to date. Who!**


End file.
